How I began my love affair with makeup

Before you read my first post which discusses makeup, I just want to give a quick disclaimer that I have no formal training in cosmetology. These are just my humble opinions as an everyday girl trying to look her best and still have everything fit her lifestyle (which is busy with work, husband, kids and cooking). Consider it a chat between girlfriends who love to share about makeup and fashion. A chat with a girlfriend who will research every product and read every review because she believes she can and WILL make the perfect choice. I'm one of those.

My loss (in time spent scouring countless websites) is your gain.

A brief history. I wore a bit of makeup starting in high school. Mainly blush, eyeliner and that terrible trend of brown lip liner and gold lip gloss *cringe*, so I never really felt the need, or really even knew I should, learn about makeup. One time in college a friend looked at me and said, in a completely innocent way, "Oh! You learned how to do your eyeliner!" IN COLLEGE. This means that for about 6 years I looked like my eyeliner was applied by a three year old. While that was a glass shattering moment for me, I still remained in denial that I should learn about makeup until about 5 years ago (old eyeliner habits die hard).

I still think about that comment every time I put on eyeliner. Every. Time.

Anyways...

What helped me really learn about makeup was discovering some makeup blogs I like (I will write another post about that), and it made buying and applying makeup so much more attainable/relatable. These blogs really opened up my understanding of what is out there and what might work for me. It sounds silly but it empowered me in a way. It's scary to walk into Sephora and be faced with 100 choices of foundation and primer and BB cream! It made me feel like a toddler wearing her mother's grown up heels. The last thing you need to be when choosing makeup is uncomfortable, which for me manifests into low self esteem, because then you probably won't wear what you buy because you won't feel confident in it. So my number one tip is to figure out what you need to feel confident. Confidence looks good on everyone.

When it comes to makeup, I have 4 routines:
1. No makeup
2. Minimal makeup; so I don't scare children when I leave the house. Usually this consists of concealer, blush, highlighter and sometimes eyeliner.  You're welcome, children.
3. Everyday make up to look nice and pulled together; I use this on most work days. This includes primer, foundation or BB cream, blush, eye shadow, eyeliner, highlighter, lipstick, and eyebrow powder if I have time. This usually takes me about 10 minutes and it lasts pretty well through my ten hour workday.
4. Going out makeup; reserved for date nights and weddings. This includes everything above but involves more care in the application with more shades of eye shadow and mascara. This is my favorite to apply because it makes me feel like an artist and it's amazing how much you can change your look.

In order to keep my routines fresh, I like to see what trends are out there, and then decide if it would work for me. That decision is based on whether I could feel comfortable in it, it could look good on me, and I can find some recommendations on brands to try that are not too pricey.

Price points can vary for me as I dabble in the world of makeup. I usually start out in the midpoint range because you can find the most reviews on those products, and I live and die by reviews. This little fact actually makes me a big ole hypocrite because I almost never write reviews. 
*Mental note - Start writing reviews so I can feel like I contribute to society*
Once I have read reviews and perhaps tried a pricier product, I feel comfortable taking some leaps and seeing if I can find a drugstore dupe. Lipstick is the easiest product to find drugstore favorites. I have a range from expensive (Dior, Bobbi Brown) to cheap (Rimmel, Milani) and I can honestly say I have true favorites in all categories. Stay tuned for a post about my favorite lipsticks.

One good thing you may or may not know is that most places these days allow you to return or exchange your makeup if you don't like it for whatever reason. Even makeup that comes in paper packages! This was a game changer for me. I can try out new products with no repercussions? I'm in!  It also makes me gutsy enough to save time and buy makeup online. With two boys it is pretty hard to get out there and try new products in a store.

All of this may sound exhausting and impossible, but I assure you it isn't. More than anything I find it fun and it's a great conversation topic to have in your back pocket to have with women. Even those who don't wear any makeup are usually still using skin care products or will say they wish they knew about a certain product.

Everyday Make-up Routine in different lighting

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen my post about my everyday makeup routine. I have a post coming up about that. I'm still deciding how those posts would be most helpful for you guys, and whether a video or camera stills will be best. So if you have any suggestions or recommendations, let me know!

Now that I have told you about my love for makeup, what is the one product you want to try but are too afraid to or don't know where to start? What is a product you feel like you just couldn't pull of? As a fellow girlfriend, I have been there and might be able to steer you in the right direction.